How do you define yourself? Or, more importantly, what time frame do you use to define yourself? Do you define yourself by what you’re doing right this minute? Does unstructured time make you uncomfortable? Or do you define yourself by how you’ve changed and grown over weeks, months, and years? It might be tempting to …
There’s a difference between a plotline and an ordinary sequence of events. When you read a sequence of events, you’ll likely ask yourself, “And then?” But when reading a narrative with a good plot, you’ll ask, “Why?” Why does character A feel that way about character B? How will our heroes succeed in their quest, …
Continue reading “Create Your Narrative with a Weekly Compass Card”
Before school starts again and routines get busier, take time to reflect and assess how you’re doing on your goals. Think through each role you have in your life—Spouse, parent, neighbor, employee, sibling, etc., and re-evaluate how you are growing in each area. Ask yourself: Do my daily tasks reflect what matters most to me? …
Planning is a simple skill with enormous benefits. The sooner a person develops the habit of planning, the better they’ll perform in school and in life. Show your kids how you use your planner. Teach them some basic time-management skills to help them see the importance of taking charge of their choices. Determine together what …
Continue reading “Help Your Child Discover Their Planning Style”
Be intentional about your morning routine. It only takes a couple of days of sleeping in to throw off your body clock. You can imagine the shock several weeks of late mornings will cause when your kids suddenly have to catch a bus at 7:15. Create a solid schedule for you and your family that …
The right headline can crystallize a moment in time. For example: “The First Footstep” – Evening Standard, July 21, 1969 “VE-Day – It’s All Over” – Daily Mail, May 8, 1945 “War on America” – New York Times, September 12, 2001 “Obama: Racial Barrier Falls in Decisive Victory” – New York Times, November 5, 2008 Your …
Think of all the times in your life you use a pen. From signing deposit slips, to signing up for a rewards card at your local supermarket, to getting someone’s contact information right before they need to leave, there are times when having a smooth, functioning pen keeps your day on track. For best results, choose a pen …
Right below the Prioritized Daily Task List, many planners have a section called the Daily Tracker, and there’s no better place in your planner to work on changing habits. To change a habit, such as drinking more water or spending less money, you have to make a conscious effort every day for at least three …
Unless you’re living off the land, you need to go shopping to survive in our modern world. But the repetitive task of drafting shopping lists and remembering to purchase everything on them can leave you with the nagging sense that you’re forgetting something, something you won’t remember until you walk in the door with your …
Have you read any good books lately? Do you have a favorite author? Those are great questions if you’re considering what to add to your reading list. A good book can work wonders. Reading expands your vocabulary, teaches you new things, provides an escape from your busy realm, and gives you a chance to imagine. …
Bucket lists are sometimes loaded with pie-in-the-sky dreams that will never become a reality. But if you create a bucket list on a slightly smaller scale, you’ll find that you can have a lot of fun learning and doing new things. Select a place in your planner to write down your summer bucket list. Better …
One of the first steps to living within your means is to track your spending habits. It’s very difficult to create a budget if you aren’t exactly sure where you’re spending your money. Use your planner to track what you spend and where you spend it from gas to groceries to movie tickets. Do this …
In all of our running, it’s easy to ignore our own needs. We start out making breakfast and shooing kids out the door so they don’t miss their bus, and then we dive into the needs of the day. Whether we’re rushing through the house making sense of our clutter, jetting off to work, wrestling …
Mother’s Day is just around the corner. Most of us wouldn’t be where we are without Mom. If you plan now you can get the perfect gift to show your love and appreciation. Make note of your gift ideas in your planner—what you want to purchase or make and when you need to order to …
Studies have shown that having new experiences bring more happiness than purchasing physical objects. The FranklinPlanner planning system promotes this idea, helping you spend time on what matters most, rather than what costs the most. And yet, it can be all too easy to force your memories into sentimental objects that accumulate in your home. …
Few things are more exciting than a summer trip. One extra exciting thing, however, is saving money on booking the travel and activities for your trip. After you finalize your plans, create a recurring task to check rates during the weeks leading up to your departure date. The more you check, the more likely you’ll …
Often, the level of detail you put into your plans makes all the difference between completing a goal and just coming close. Our specialized forms give you the space you need to capture these details and record your progress, whether you’re looking to expand your note-taking, balance your budget, track your fitness, or expand your …
With tax season upon us, it’s time to get all your finances in order. Help the process along with a list of the steps you still need to take: gathering documentation, purchasing tax software, planning time to do it yourself or submit your documents to your accountant. As you complete each step, mark it off …
As you complete your goals, take a moment to celebrate your success. There will always more you can do to improve, but for the moment, enjoy the feeling of accomplishment that only comes from positive personal change. This feeling is the best motivation to continue setting goals and furthering your progress.
Stephen R. Covey told a famous story: Two lumberjacks challenged each other to see how many trees they could cut down in a single day. One lumberjack started right off, while the other spent 45 minutes sharpening his saw. The first lumberjack mocked the second, felling tree after tree. But as time went on, the …
